Aquatica
by BumblelikeBee
Summary: Tallulah Avery has a gift. She can manipulate water, but she has no idea how to control it. But after being recruited by the X-Men she becomes Aquatica, suddenly being different isn't so bad after all, and she realises that sometimes change is for the better. OC and the X-Men (Seasons 1-2) Story icon is Aquatic drawn by Bee-chii on deviantART
1. Chapter 1 - Different

Everyone's special. That's what my parents told me all the time. In fact, I probably heard it at least once a day. It got to the point where I think they were saying it as a reassurance, it's not as if they actually believed it any more.

I believed them for a long time, that every one was special, and in some ways we all are, but only a few are different. And if I were going to identify with one category, it would be different. Call me crazy – which I have been – but I have a feeling mutant was the better word to describe what I am. I haven't always been this way, but now I can't remember a time when I wasn't able to do what I can.  
My name is Tallulah Avery and I can control water.

It happened so suddenly, and every one noticed and then I was labeled 'different' and 'the freak' the usual kind of things for people like me, or so I'm told now, anyway. I had been the captain of the high school swim team even thought I was only a sophomore, which was practically unheard of, but I had a gift. I guess I just didn't realize how true that was. I was the perfect leader, the fastest racer, and to top it all off I hadn't missed a single meet since middle school. But then every thing changed and now I can't go into the water ever again.

"Hey Lula!" My best friend waved to me from the stands, even if he wasn't waving you'd still be able to see him - he was a good head and shoulders above the average teen, and his bright red hair didn't help matters either. It was the championship gala. There was only one more heat between me and the final trophy of the season.  
I raised my goggles and threw him a smile. Toby Johnson had supported me in every single race, and never missed a single swim. He was the school photographer and always had the liberty of capturing my winner's pose.

"Good luck out there," the girl in the lane to my left gave me a curt nod. She was from the school a few miles out of town, I'd beat her before in races so wasn't threatened by her subtle attempt to throw me off my game.

"Thanks Crystal, you too."

The lifeguard climbed the ladder to his chair and poised the whistle in between his teeth. The school's coaches were lined up on the outside of the pool holding the towels, trying to psych each other out. They'd probably already placed their bets on who was the next champion. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other school's coaches placed bets on me too.

I tuned it all out.

Nothing could throw me off. When I was near the water I could drown every one out.  
The blare from the whistle was short, sharp and assaulted everyone's ears. I always had my swimming cap pulled down tight over my ears, that way I wasn't stunned for one precious second like the others.  
I often wondered if that one-second advantage was what helped me to win, but I knew it was more than that. I had trained for these kinds of moments from when I was six years old. As soon as I was old enough my parents had signed me up. I was at the pool as often as I could be, and if I wasn't in the water then I was standing on the side, coaching the kids at the outdoor center.  
Before the second of silence after the whistle I had already broken the crystalline surface. The cool water hugged my skin, but I pushed it away with strong, swift strokes. Breathing in every six, not every four. I loved how blurred my vision became when I was underwater, nothing was defined except the fact that the water surrounded me and I could bend it to my will.

Every kick of my legs propelled me forward faster than imaginable. Three more strokes and I had hit the other side of the pool, ducking my head down quickly for the turn. Even though I tumbled through the water, I kept in control and forced my lungs to clench even tighter as I still waited my required six strokes.

You can lose what's up and what's down when you're swimming, so sometimes it's just better to close your eyes. I never told any one that I did, they'd tell me it was a stupid mistake, but I felt no need to worry, if anything it just improved my game. When I came up for air I gulped down the oxygen that my raw throat craved, consoling myself that in two more laps it would be over and I'd have one more trophy to add the collection. Maybe this one could go on the mantle piece?

But one moment of distraction and it's all over.

I wish I hadn't looked left. Maybe if I hadn't I wouldn't have seen Crystal duck her head for the tumble. I wouldn't have seen her push off three seconds before me. I wouldn't have felt the need to push myself harder, and I wouldn't have lost control.

My muscles were aching, but not enough to slow me down. I'd already matched Crystal's speed but it didn't matter the damage had already been done.

The current I had been pushing back had gotten stronger and stronger. I thought it strange that it felt like the water was pushing me rather than the other way round, but I didn't think too much of it until it was time for the final push off. I ducked my head down and rolled.  
The water behind me surged forward forcing me to dive deeper, if I had kept watch to the left and right of me I would have seen what was happening. I had to wait for Toby to tell me afterwards what had happened to the others.

Suddenly the water felt like a ton of bricks resting on my shoulders forcing me down until my stomach hit the floor of the pool. I strained against the weight of the water crushing the little air I had left in my lungs. Then I made the mistake of opening my mouth.

In normal circumstances I would have breathed in an awful lot of chlorinated water, choked and tried to surface, but that didn't happen. The weight that had been crushing me only seconds before was suddenly released, I looked down and saw beads of water rolling down my swimming suit, and dripping onto the bone-dry tiles beneath me. I didn't breathe in a mass of pool water, I was breathing air. As in above water air.

I managed to roll onto my back and look up. It was like I was in a bubble. Everything around me was completely dry; like I had created a waterproof shield that I didn't know how to turn off. If I put my hand in front of my face I could see it clearly, but the water lapping at my protection distorted everything else. I could just about make out the dark colours of the coaches jackets as they leant at the side of the pool, trying to figure out what was happening. But I was transfixed by the reflections of the luminescent lighting.  
One thousand noises crashed into my bubble all at once. Mostly the warbled screams of the crown above me.

"Lula! Lula!" They screamed.  
Strangely I felt no fear, I was freaked out a little bit, but I wasn't scared of what I had done. Perhaps I should have been.


	2. Chapter 2 - Repellent

I pushed myself from the floor into a seated position. "H-h-hello?" I tested. Just as I had suspected I didn't choke on water intake. Whatever it was that was keeping me from the water allowed me to breathe normally and to talk.

Three meters below the surface and it was like I was on dry land. I laughed, pulling my swimming cap off for the second test. Golden blonde hair cascaded down my back and tickled my shoulders.  
Bone-dry, but after everything else, I expected nothing different. Normally the ends would be damp, but nothing. Not one strand was wet.

The final test was moving. There was no way I wanted to be trapped at the bottom of my high school's pool. Carefully at first, I extended my arm, and as I did so the shield expanded so there was a constant boundary between the water and myself. It seemed as though my skin was now water repellent.

The water and my skin had become polar opposites, refusing to touch even if I relaxed completely.

_Why now? _It should have been my first concern, but I was too amazed to think straight. I'd overanalyze everything later – as per usual. It was the other key to my success. If I could pick up where I went wrong then I could change it the next time I was in the water. I had pushed myself to become the champion swimmer I was.  
After ascertaining that I could move, I planted my feet firmly on the tiles and tried to stand. There was no resistance; I thought water pressure would have been an issue but my powers seemed to cancel all logical explanations.  
_Now what? Do I jump? _  
It took a few moments of hesitation before my mind came up with the answer.  
Swim. With no water.

How do normal people reach the surface? They swim. It was the only answer I had, it seemed ridiculous, but I had to at least try.  
Without wasting another second, I bent my knees, raised my hands high above my head, and pushed off bringing my arms back down to my waist. With a sudden shot of energy, I was propelled to the ceiling of my new world. I almost forgot how to swim, it was so stupid, but from what I knew it was pretty impossible to swim without water. I kicked my legs and sure enough the surface rushed up to meet me.

The moment my head broke the surface, there were screams of horror, confusion and maybe relief. But I only knew one person that would have that reaction.  
Toby rushed to the pool's edge and extended his hand towards me. "Lula! You're alive!" he blurted. I hauled my elbow onto the side and took his hand using it as an anchor.  
I lifted my goggles away from my eyes and saw Toby's shocked expression. His eyebrows were practically at his hairline and his jaw had dropped to the floor. "W-w-what?"  
I put my hands on my hips and gave him a look that said 'problem?'

"Y-you're completely dry!" he exclaimed, he had to push his glasses up to keep them from falling of the bridge of his nose.

I reached up to my hair involuntarily, and just as it had been when I was underwater, there was no longer one droplet of water on my person, not even my swimming suit was wet.  
"Umm…yeah."

"Lula," Coach grabbed my shoulder. "What happened to you, why aren't you wet?" Her lips were pursed and she radiated concern.

"I honestly have no idea," I mumbled, my voice was quiet, barely audible over the chaos around me.

"And you expect us to believe that?"

I jerked my shoulder away from her grasp and looked at her in disbelief. "Of course I do!"

"Lula, the other swimmers were practically chucked out of the water. It suddenly surged from beneath them! The water levels were _way _higher than physically possible, it was like there was extra water coming from somewhere." As Toby rattled off the story his features got more and more animated. It sounded just like one of the plot lines in the comic books he read. But that kind of stuff didn't happen in real life.

Of course it didn't.  
But there was something telling me that it just had.  
"An ambulance has already been called for," Coach said gravely. "It's a miracle you survived."

"Wait, how long was I under there?"

"Almost ten minutes!" Toby beamed.

"Ten minutes! But my record is two and a half!" I couldn't keep the excitement from creeping into my voice.

"What _did _happen down there, Tallulah?" Coach folded her arms across her chest. "You've got a lot to answer for, the other coaches are up in arms about this and you need to talk to the other girls."

Even if these people were genuinely concerned for me, I didn't feel any impulse to tell them what happened. Undoubtedly, they had already come to their own conclusions. The terms 'freak' and 'weirdo' already seemed to be bouncing around the stands.  
I looked into the eyes of my coach; there was a hint of worry, but mostly anger and frustration. Toby looked liked slightly upset, probably because he hadn't caught the whole thing on camera.  
The pressure of everyone's stares bore into my back, searing holes through my costume. The lights were too bright, like a spotlight demanding answers, and the noise level had rose to an absolute maximum.  
"I'm sorry but I really have to go." I swiped my towel from the benches even though I didn't need it. I'd have to grab my bag from the locker rooms, but that wasn't my top priority.

All I wanted to do was escape from the questions, escape from the panic and escape from myself. Whenever I felt like that, I always found my way to the water. But that didn't look like an option anymore.


	3. Chapter 3 - Inquisition

The wave realization crashed into my shore. Suddenly I was different, not special.  
I'd rushed out of the locker rooms as fast as I could, grabbing the duffel bag from my locker – because I couldn't exactly go home in a swim suit – and then ran all the way home. My parents weren't in, and for once I was glad of it. Gala events were normally held on Saturday afternoons which coincided with their overtime. That's why I had Toby with me. I relied on his support. A winner is only a winner if they have a good support team, even if that's only one person.  
I'd kept my suit on underneath my clothes, and was led face down on my bed, practically smothering myself.

_What am I?_ was the only thought circling through my mind, over and over. Each time I couldn't come up with a better answer than 'different.' I had no idea what I was going to say to my parents, they might even have been called after the tournament. If they had then I had some serious explaining to do when they got home, which if they left straight away, would only be in a small matter of time.

To distract myself from the ever-present worries, I gazed in the cabinet opposite the door. It was better than counting the cracks in the ceiling of my existence. But only just. Looking at the trophies just forced me to add up the cracks in my life. The amount of people I'd pushed away because I was so desperate to win. Toby, who was always there, and the fact that I barely ever said thank you. Even my parents who, although could never make one meet, I knew would have wanted to support me.

But I'd pushed them all away.

I drowned them all out.

If you forget about the others then the only person you have to blame, if something goes wrong, is yourself.

My vision blurred out of focus and I started to think about every move, every stroke, and every breath I'd made out there. Each action was ripped apart and analyzed to an extreme level.

But I'd made all the right turns. I'd only breathed in when I absolutely had to. My strokes were stronger than ever after all the training I had put myself through. There was no calculation for the error. All except looking to the left.

I was so stupid.

Just one slip up and you've already lost but if I hadn't of looked, would it have still happened? If I hadn't pushed myself then, what's to say that the next time I'd wouldn't do the exact same thing?

_No one's going to want to talk to me tomorrow, _I thought miserably. The whole student body would know that something was up as soon as Toby didn't arrive at the notice board to pin up the latest victory captured.

I don't know how long I spent sulking – long enough that it took the sound of the door opening downstairs to rip my from my reverie.

"Tallulah?" Mum called upstairs.

"Coming," I sighed.

_Let the questions roll in, it's not like I'll be able to answer them. _

Trailing my hand along the banister I slipped down the stairs, the final step creaked as I jumped from the bottom.  
They were in the kitchen. Mum was sat at the breakfast bar, and Dad was stood behind her, one hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder.  
"Tallulah," her voice a tad too sweet, her smile a tad too fake.

"Honey," Dad looked at me pleadingly, probably hoping that I wasn't about to confirm what they already knew.  
"Sit down, sweetie." Mum pulled out the stool next to her, but I remained standing by the door. She didn't say anything, but I could tell by the way her foot was tapping that she felt uncomfortable. "What happened today?"

"I honestly have no idea." It was exactly what I had told Coach, and they had the same reaction.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. One minutes I was swimming and the next I was at the bottom of the pool, and stayed there for ten minutes."

"But no one can hold their breath underwater for that long," Dad pointed out. It wasn't a question. He wanted me to agree with him.

"Of course not." I shrugged and he smiled at me, relief flooding through his features. "I didn't hold my breath, I didn't have too," I added.

"What do you mean?" Mum's eyes narrowed in accusation.

"I mean, that I didn't have to hold my breath, because I could breathe perfectly normally."

"But you were underwater!" She exclaimed, like it explained everything.

"No I wasn't. I was at the bottom of the pool. That doesn't mean I was underwater." With each question I felt my defenses getting stronger. I wasn't going to let them discredit what I knew was the truth.

"It's impossible to breath underwater, Tallulah."

"I'm not saying I did!" Frustration was now audible in my voice. "I'm saying that there was _no _water. I couldn't have breathed it in if I tried."

"I don't understand…" Dad sank into the chair that had been intended for me. With the two of them sat down I felt like I was at an inquisition. They wouldn't believe me, unless I proved it to them.  
"What are you doing?" Mum asked, as I stormed round the breakfast bar and into the kitchen, and filled the sink full to the brim.

"Water." I pointed to it. "Hand." I lifted mine up. "Put the two together and… what?" My hand slipped straight in, and when I pulled it back out in surprise a quarter of my sleeve was soaking wet.

"Don't lie to us, Tallulah."  
_But, I wasn't lying! _I knew I wasn't. I had put up a defense that meant I repelled the water. _Why wasn't it working now?_ I looked around in panic.

"No wait, I-I-promise!" I blurted, dunking my hand into the water.

"Tell us what's really going on. Stop this right now!" Mum got up from her seat and tried to yank my arm away from the water.  
I resisted her strength and focused my mind, diving into the complete silence that I found just before a race. Drowning her out, I kept my hand firmly placed at the bottom of the sink. Water splashed from the sides, more water than I'd filled the sink with in the first place, it was pouring out of the bowl like there was a leaking pipe. There was an inch of water coating the floor and my mother's trousers were almost completely soaked through.

When I pulled my hand out, a triumphant smile pulling at the corners of my mouth, my sleeve and skin was completely dry.

"Explain that."


	4. Chapter 4 - Incredible

Suffice to say my parents believed me after that. When they said everyone was special I bet they didn't have this in mind. I could still see their faces clearly when I left the room. The shock, the horror, and more importantly the look that told me they didn't know how to deal with it whatsoever.

Neither did I. Even if there were others like me, which I doubted at the time, I bet they didn't tell anyone about their powers. I had just let practically my whole school know.

When it was time for dinner, my parents called me down. They'd put my water in a closed bottle rather than in a glass, and I had to hold in a bark of laughter. At least they were trying.

"Lula, we're going to try and talk to someone about this."

"Dad, who do you thinks going to know what's going on?"

"There have been some rumors over the past couples of years. This isn't the weirdest thing to happen in New York."

"Wait, you mean to say there are others like me?"

"Not exactly, but your mother and I have been doing some research and there have been some unexplainable incidences in schools all over the country these past few years."

"But how come I've never heard about it? Why are you just telling me now?" I unscrewed the lid from the water bottle.

Dad watched the water bottle intently. I noticed there were no other drinks on the table. "We think they've tried to keep it as quiet as possible, you can imagine the kind of uproar if the press found out about kids like you." Considering how they had taken the news not four hours before hand, I could barely believe how they were talking to me now. Like I said, they would support me through anything, and now I needed them more than ever.

"And we're only telling you now, because we've only just found out too." Mum smiled. This time it wasn't quite so strained.

"I need to find them," I mumbled. My parents nodded absentmindedly and where silent for the rest of the evening.

School would just be another hell. Toby would be bugging me for a long time to give him all the details about my underwater experience. I wouldn't expect any less from the school newspaper to have already reported on my new record. I decided to just get to school early, hide out in the bathrooms and then head straight to class. If I turned up late, I'd have to deal with everybody staring at me when I walked in, and I wasn't ready for that kind of attention yet.

As soon as I reached the school gates I saw Toby stood by the building's entrance, waiting for me.

I bit back a smile at how easy it was to predict his movements.

"So I was doing some research," Toby started the second I was on the same step as he was.

"Hi Toby," I interrupted.

"Yeah, anyway, I was doing some research last night and I found out that-"

Again I cut him off. "Other strange things have been happening recently."

"Yeah!" He exclaimed. "How did you guess?"

"You're not the only one that's able to use a search engine. I have a computer too, you know." I raised an eyebrow at the papers he was pulling out of his backpack.

"Well, there's been some seriously freaky stuff. I printed the best ones." I tried to take them from him, but he ignored my outstretched hand, crouched to the floor and organized them into two piles. "This stuff is for my personal collection," he mumbled, and shoved the papers back in his bag. "I was also wondering if I could interview you?"

"You're not selling my story." I flipped through the sheets.

_ Earthquake attacks. Is Bayville on a fault line? _

_ Unexplained red flash saves school bus for being crushed. _

_ Unidentified footprints near the water tower, is Bigfoot to blame?_

"What the…"

"Weird right? You wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to find these things. I tried looking online but found almost nothing. Only that one about Bigfoot."

"Probably just some animal escaped from the zoo." I pushed my weight against the doors and we strolled through the corridor together. Toby was still gushing about the news reports.

"But then I went to the library archives and found all of the old copies. But I found the weirdest thing." We'd come to a stop at my locker. When I opened it up, the training schedule I had taped to the inside stared right back at me. I tore it down and crumpled it into a ball. I wouldn't need it anymore. There was no way I could swim in public after yesterday.

"Are you going to tell me?"

Toby was transfixed by the screwed up piece of paper in my hands.

"Your swimming schedule…"

"I don't need it." I shrugged. "Tell me about this weird thing."

"There were ripped pages."

"You think someone's trying to hide something?" I elbowed him.

"Of course." His serious tone sobered me up.

"So you really believe all this stuff, huh? The stuff from your comic books."

Toby adjusted his glasses and looked me straight in the eye. He reached out for my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "How can I not believe it when you're standing right in front of me, Lula. It's incredible."

I winced.

"See!" His shoulders dropped a few inches. "You have this amazing power and you're not even excited by it!"

"Keep your voice down!" The halls had started to fill up with other students. The noise level was at an ultimate high – everyone talking about yesterday's incident, I guess. Time seemed to have escaped our grasp and classes were just about to start.  
"Oh, please. People have been talking about yesterday practically the whole time since it happened. You should have been there for the aftermath."

"No thanks, I'm glad I skipped that party." Toby closed my locker, and we headed to physics. "I'm not excited by it because I don't think it's that amazing."

"How could you not?" He looked like I had personally insulted him.

"I can breathe underwater, so what?"

"So that's awesome!"

"It wouldn't be so awesome, if _you _were the one that couldn't get in the shower this morning."

"Is that what I smell?" He pinched his nose and waved a hand in front of his face.

I bit back a laugh and followed him into the classroom.

The first thing that hit me was the fact that there was already a girl sat in my seat. Physics was assigned seating. Toby looked at me in panic, I was supposed to be his lab partner.

"Excuse me?" he walked over to the girl and tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned round, her ponytail bouncing.

"Hi!" she beamed, showing off her perfectly straight teeth that were as white as her pearl earrings.

"Um, sorry but my friend sits there."

I gave an apologetic shrug and moved so that I was in front of the desk, because it might have been a bit too territorial if I put my books down too.

"No problem. I didn't know it was assigned seating." Everything she said was punctuated with a smile. "But seeing as I'm new, would you guys, like, mind if I stuck with you for a bit?"

"Sure, why not?" I kicked my bag under the table and took the seat that the new girl had just vacated.

"I'm Kitty, by the way."

"Lula. And this is Toby."

"Cool! So did you guys hear what happened yesterday? Totally weird right?"

Toby and I exchanged a glace.

"Totally," we muttered in unison.

"I think it's awesome actually." I caught Toby looking at me in my peripheral vision, and he looked pretty happy with himself.

Kitty nodded in agreement.

"Alright class, settle down, settle down. Mr. Andrews, if you wouldn't mind putting electronics _away._" Professor Landrine took his place at the head of the classroom. "Today we're going to be looking at velocity under water."

_Looks like this is just going to be one of those days. _


	5. Chapter 5 - Not so Different

I didn't touch the experiment. I never normally did, but that was because Toby geeked out and refused to let me help him. This time was different. I physically couldn't do anything. I sat back in my seat and focused on writing down the results, even copying them up in Toby's book as he seemed to be doing an experiment of his own.

When I turned round to draw out the table Mr. Landrine had just put up on the board Toby used a pipette to squeeze a drop of water onto the back of my hand.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I leapt from my seat, cradling my hand to my chest.

"Its just water," Toby taunted, an innocent smile played across his lips.

"Exactly," I hissed. It was only a tiny droplet, but my skin hadn't absorbed it, when I shook my hand it fell onto Toby's notebook and smudged the title of the lesson.

Kitty watched silently as the two of us continued to joke with each other. I'd almost forgot that she was sat with us, but I did notice the beaker of water that she'd just tipped over – and from my viewpoint it looked like she'd done it on purpose. Her head was turned to look at the board, but one eye was trained on the glass container, her elbow too precise in its movement.

The water rolled across the table, it was already dripping off the sides and had flooded the rest of Toby's notes.

"You kidding me?" He stopped what he was doing and went to go grab some paper towels. The next minute or so happened in slow motion. The partners working next to us that had gone to another table to compare results had left their experiments on the counter top. I knew what was happening a second too late. It was as if some invisible force had knocked over the beakers, the glass hit the tabletop leaving cracks across the rims and the water rushed towards me. With the water that had already been spilled on the table, as soon as it joined the echoes of the water's tracks it came rushing right back towards Toby's textbook. And me.

Kitty made no attempt to grab the papers scattered over the desk, but her eyes widened and when I looked down at my hands I realized why.

I'd stopped the water.

By throwing my hands out I had stopped all water within a thirty-centimeter radius. It didn't move, but it did curve upwards as if there really were a barricade stopping it.

I quickly flashed a glance in Kitty's direction, and she was nodding her head slowly. Luckily, no one else had seen the incident as they were all far too occupied by the mini whirlpools the teacher was making by shaking a two litre bottle.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Keeping one hand still outstretched, I scooped my work of the table and put in on my seat. The water began to move in the opposite direction, towards Kitty, who was looking more and more excited by the second.

"Me too."

Toby turned round and looked at the water that was spreading across the table. His eyes asked me if I was okay, and my furrowed eyebrows told him the answer was pretty obvious.

Kitty was already at the door and was holding it open for me, giving me no choice but to follow her.

"Tallulah Avery," she announced when we were walking down the corridor to the girl's bathrooms. "That was incredible."

_Exactly what Toby said. _

"It was nothing."

"No. You stopped that water. I saw it with my own eyes." I'd quickened my pace so was forced to hurry too. I was at least five inches taller, and at that moment I was relieved by my longer stride.

"You saw nothing," I deadpanned.

"Don't play it that way, Tallu-"

"Wait, I never told you my full name. How do you know it?" I rounded on her.

"Oh," her toenails that had been pained with a glittery pink suddenly became the most interesting thing in world. "That's complicated."

"No, I'd say it's pretty _incredible _considering you're new in town."

"I'm not exactly _new._" Kitty grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an empty English classroom. "Look, this is going to sound really weird…"

"Nothing's weird at the moment." I avoided her stare.

"I know how you feel, trust me. But it gets better."

"How do you know how I feel? I've got this...this power and I can't control it!"

"Don't accuse people of things when you don't know their side of the story." She pointed to her hand, motioning for me to watch it. And I did, but when she put her hand on one of the chair backs it sunk right through.

"It's called phasing. Kind of like what you can do in water, but opposite, I guess."

"B-b-but how?" I stammered, dragging my hand through my hair.

"The same way you can. I'm a mutant." She said it so casually. When I thought of mutants I could only conceive negative connotations. Kitty said it like it was a good thing, something to be proud of.

"I'm not a mutant."

"I think you proved that to be, like, _totally _wrong back there. And in the pool yesterday. You're a mutant Lula." Kitty pulled out the chair and swung her leg over, resting her chin on the back.

"You still haven't told me how you know my name."

She laughed. "That's the best part! The truth is, I'm not new."

"Really, I hadn't guessed?"

"Geez, Wolverine will _love _you…" she grumbled under her breath. "I was sent here by Professor X to convince you to join us at the Institute," she said at a normal decibel.

"Institute? That doesn't sound very friendly."

"But it really is! You have to agree to go back there with me. Professor X wants an immediate transferal. He already has everything sorted out with Bayville High. He can have you enrolled in two seconds! You just have to say yes."

_What would I be saying yes to? I'd lose my family, I'd lose my friends, what did I really have to gain? _

I voiced my concerns to Kitty and she just looked at me as if I was stupid.

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?"

"Well yeah!"

"It's not like parents can't visit! You can see them, like, every weekend. Just so long as you approve visits of course. And as for," she paused and looked over my shoulder. "Toby."

I followed her gaze and noticed he was waiting outside the classroom. I could see through the glass that he had his ear pressed against the door. His muffled voice passed through the wood. "Busted."

"He can visit too. He already knows about you, and I don't think the Prof would want to wipe his memories."

Toby leapt up onto the desk and swung his legs like a little boy. "I'd never tell anyone."

"Forgive me for saying that's slightly hard to believe."

"Lula, I've been your best friend since forever, therefore I'm not going to spill your secrets, haven't you worked that out by now?"

"You're right. Okay, so what happens if I agree to meet this Professor?"

"Well, he'll have to talk to your parents, but you can probably come and see the Institute for yourself by tomorrow."

"And after that?"

"You become part of the X-Men." Kitty couldn't stop herself from smiling, and neither could I.


	6. Chapter 6 - Family

In the beginning my parents were completely opposed to the idea. Kitty told me that was pretty normal and her parents had reacted the exact same way. The 'Professor' couldn't make the trip to talk to them in person, but the phone call had lasted just over an hour.

I'd resigned from my high school that afternoon. They'd thought I was completely crazy, but when they saw that I had a new school all lined up they patted my shoulder and said things like 'We'll be sorry to see you go."

Coach didn't even know I was moving, and heartless as it was I had no desire to be the one to tell her that the lead swimmer was quitting the team. At least she could reside in the comforting fact that I wouldn't be joining Bayville's team. They wouldn't even have to compete with me next year.

I hope Crystal likes my place at the top.

Toby was way more excited that I was – as usual. He'd help me pack my stuff and even given me some of his comics, so that I could 'get some ideas.' There were already plans in place for him to come and see me on the weekend. My parents would be able to come to, but I think the denial of what was happening still hadn't quite washed away.

I didn't know what to expect when saying the goodbyes. I certainly didn't expect the tears. Not just from Mum, but from me. I think even Dad shed a couple, not that he'd let me see. They hugged me so tight, I felt bad about pushing them away so much. Now I'd have to deal with not having them there at all.

Kitty reassured that I'd be a part of a new family.

A _mutant _family.

So much for all teens just trying to be normal.

A sleek black car had been arranged to pick us up. Inconspicuous was not the word I would use to describe our mode of transportation. It wasn't a very long journey, about forty-five minutes. To think that there were other people like me in that short a distance was insane, especially considering we hadn't heard anything about it until yesterday.

I so wanted somewhere that I could fit it, I don't even think I managed to hold in all of my excitement. I'd planned to play it cool. You know, glacial expression, hands-on-hip attitude.

But when the car pulled up in front of the biggest and most beautiful building I have ever seen I couldn't bring myself to do it. My chin had dropped to the floor and Kitty practically had to drag me up the steps. She jumped around a little bit and insisted that she go ahead first so she could open the door for me.

I didn't need any grand gestures when I got a glimpse of the foyer in front of me. The large curving staircase that leads off into the two wings of the house was ridiculously impressive - it was even covered with red velvet carpet. This place shouldn't be called the Institute; it should be called the Palace. There were podiums lining the hallway topped with busts of people I didn't recognize. The curtains behind me were a deep plum and covered the windows that ran floor to ceiling.

I didn't want to touch anything.

"Welcome home," Kitty clapped her hands together and grabbed my suitcase. "Jean! We're back!" she called.

A girl with flowing red hair appeared at the top of the stairs. Her bracelets and rings chimed as her held the rail and descended.

"Welcome to the Institute, Lula. I'm Jean Grey." Jean was strikingly beautiful. She was model height, and had greenest eyes I'd even seen. They completed her long fiery hair perfectly. "It's great to meet you, The Professor has told us all about you."

"Uh, okay?" Was all I could say when I finally found my voice.

"Hey Jean?" The new tone belonged to a guy with hair the color of dark chocolate and red tinted sunglasses. "Oh, there you are." He radiated in Jean's presence. "Is this the new girl?"

I wrinkled my nose and gave an awkward wave, a little overwhelmed by just how normal every one looked. But what was I expecting.

"You must be Lula," a soft but deep voice sounded behind me. When I turned round to see who it was I was looking right into the eyes of a blue gorilla man. I made a strangled noise and jumped five feet into the air.

The man only laughed. "I'm Beast."

_No kidding? _I laughed nervously. "Lula."

He extended a hand and I shook it, hoping not to seem any ruder. "Sorry to scare you, I know it's something to get used to, but we all have our gifts."

"Talking about gifts, I've gotta run!" I watched Kitty retreat, she didn't have to bother opening any doors.

"Do you need me to take your stuff upstairs?" Shades asked me.

"I don't know where to put them…"

"Leave it to me, Jean can show you to your room after you've met with the Professor." Her lifted my duffel bad effortlessly from my grasp and swung it over his back. With his other hand he picked up my suitcase – which I thought weighed at least two tones – and carried that upstairs with him too.

Jean wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you to Professor Xavier."

I followed Jean down the hall and into an elevator. Beast said goodbye when the sound of glass breaking could be heard from somewhere else in the house. When the doors peeled open again we were in a cozy reception area. A fire blazing in the hearth even thought it was only mid morning, and plush cushions littered all over the squishy red sofas.

"Ah, Lula. So lovely to finally meet you." A man in a wheelchair swiveled round to face us. "Please," he motioned to the armchairs closest to the blaze. I sat down obediently and placed my hands on my knees so I wouldn't fidget.

"Good morning Professor," Jean pronounced graciously. "Shall I leave you too alone?"

"It's alright, Jean. Why don't you stay?"

"Of course." Jean nodded and perched on the arm of my chair.

"Firstly, Lula, welcome to the Institute, it's wonderful to have you among us. You're probably wondering what all this is. I doubt Kitty told you much." From any one else it would have sounded like an angry remark, but coming from the Professor he said with affection.

"Not really…"

"Well then. You are here, at the Institute, to learn how to control your powers. We have the most advanced technology in all of New York, it was what brought you here. Cerebro identified that you possessed the mutant gene, which is what alerted us to your whereabouts."

"Cerebro," I repeated.

"Yes, it is how we have found all of our team, who I am sure you will have the pleasure of meeting very soon." He shared a look with Jean who grinned.

"So, are you able to tell me more about my power?"

The Professor laced his fingers together. "The majority of that is up to you, Tallulah. What we can tell you is that your skin seems to have become hydrophobic. So much so that you can even stop water and create a breathable space when you come into contact with it."

"But why now?" I asked.

"The gene doesn't become active for everyone at the same stage in their life. The dormancy period is different in every case. It could have just as easily awoken two years from now or two weeks ago. However, competing in that race might have been a trigger moment that set of the mutation before you were ready, but it would have shown itself eventually."

"I guess the sooner the better."

"I'm not sure everyone here will agree, but you will come to learn all of that in time. As for now, I think that's enough. We'll begin your training tomorrow." He looked over at Jean expectantly.

"I can show you were to go," she gave my shoulder a quick squeeze.

"Ororo, I do believe, will be running the session tomorrow – so you'll be focusing on teamwork."

"You're lucky we're not under the instruction of Wolverine, it's much more intense, and he won't be nice just because you're new." Jean noticed how scared I must have looked, because she added, "Trust me, it's not half as bad as you think it's going to be."

"We might have to add some more weaponry. Now that you're here, we will have to acquire a few moment water based attack systems, but all in good time." He wheeled over to the elevator and pushed the button for us. "For now, welcome to the family."

Just before the elevator doors closed on Jean and I he seemed to remember something. "You'll need to pick a codename."

I didn't have any idea, but I knew just the person to ask.


	7. Chapter 7 - Source of Power

Jean showed me to my room. Shades had already put my bags down on the bed and as soon as Jean left to let me unpack I grabbed my phone and called the one person who would want to know what was happening.

"I'm so glad you called!"

"Toby, I need to ask you something."

"Sure, Lula, what do you need?"

"Well, I have to have a codename, I think it's a security thing, and I thought you might have some cool ideas."

"Aquatica," he said immediately.

"Aquatica?"

"Aquatica."

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

"The second you got out of that pool." I could hear the smile in his voice. "You gave me some ideas for a new comic, and when I started to sketch stuff out the name just kinda came to me."

"You were drawing me?" I laughed.

"Not exactly, but there are some similarities." I wished I could have seen them, he'd shown me some of his work before and I always loved flipping through the inked pages. He was actually a really great artist, but I never thought he would draw me.

"Wouldn't it be a little weird if I just stole her name like that?" I asked skeptically.

"Lula, she basically is you…well, a little bit…okay maybe a lot. I came up with that name for you to use," he blurted out in a rush.

"Aquatica," I tested the name on my tongue. "The more I say it, the more I like it. So when will I get to see your new piece of artwork?"

"As soon as I've finished lining it."

"And you're sure you don't mind?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay, well, thanks Toby it really means a lot. Hopefully it will fit with the other codenames. Wouldn't want to look like a dork or anything," I laughed uneasily.

"You look nothing like a dork. Trust me, I know from experience."

As always Toby managed to lighten my mood, I found myself actually waiting in anticipation for the first training session. I had no idea what to expect. Training for me meant fifty laps of the pool, and strangely I don't think it was going to be the same thing.

"I have to go now, Lula. But I'll call you tomorrow okay? Tell me how it all goes."

"Sure, Toby. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye!" He ended the call, and as soon as he did I felt a little bit of the loneliness creep back in. When someone knocked at the door the tightness ebbed away and I called for them to come in.

"I heard we had a new recruit! Hallo, I'm Kurt." The boy stood in front of me was about my height, he wore a watch across his wrist and had black hair with a blueish tint and bangs that fell across his face. I felt a little too ashamed of myself when my next thought was: _Wow, the guys around here are pretty cute. _

"I'm Tallulah, uh, but call me Lula."

"I thought you might need a tour of the Institute." He slouched against the doorframe, and ran his hand through his hair.

"That would actually be really nice." I shoved my phone back in my bad and joined Kurt in the hallway.

"You should be glad it's me giving you the tour. Scott would make it _way _boring!"

"Who's Scott?"

Kurt closed my door with a "Leave it open and you'll be sorry tomorrow," and turned to look at me in disbelief. "What? You haven't meant Scott? I thought he'd be all over this. New Recruits are a rarity. So who have you met?"

"Kitty was the one at my old school, and then Jean took me to the Professor. Then there was this blue guy and-"

"That's Beast, and don't go knocking the blue. Chicks dig the fuzzy dude." He pressed a button on what I thought was his watch and his skin changed to a blue fur, and his eyes lost their pupils. Before I got a good look at him there was a flash, a warped noise and he disappeared from sight only to reappear a few meters down the hall. "Transportation," he said it like it was nothing.

I'd momentarily lost the power of speech, which I had a feeling was going to happen a lot hanging around with other mutants. Kurt slung an arm around my shoulder like we'd been friends forever and walked me to the stairs. "You see, Lula. I'm the leader of the X-Men. Don't be fooled by my charm or good looks. I'm actually a really fun gu-"

"Kurt?" I pulled him out of his personal add and pointed to the top of the staircase where Shades now stood waiting, arms folded over his chest, and one eye brow raised suspiciously.

"Kurt, are you telling lies to the new recruits again?" he asked sternly.

"No way! I was just telling Lula how you're the leader of the team. Lula, this is Scott."

"We met downstairs." He grinned.

"What? You got to the newbies first _again_?"

"It's sorta my job," he scoffed.

"Thanks for taking my bags, Scott."

"Hey, no problem. Do you want to come and meet the rest of the team? I have them waiting downstairs."

I didn't quite feel like I was ready to meet every one just yet. Can't have too much of a good thing, right? But I reminded myself it would just happen eventually and best to get all of the questions out of the way in one go. So I nodded and was lead down he beautiful staircase and another hallway lined with oil paintings, until we got to a large mahogany door. Kurt teleported from the landing so was already waiting inside when Scott opened the doors to reveal the rest of my new family.

The other mutants were lounging around on the sofas or spread out across the carpet planning strategies for their next training exercise. I counted ten people, some I guessed were the tutors.

Jean had saved a seat for me and waved me over when she spotted me lingering in the doorway. Kitty was sat on the other side of the space and when I sat down she gave me the biggest smile she could manage.

"Hey, Lula. It's going to be so fun having you around here."

"Like we needed another person to share the bathroom with, Jean takes long enough." A girl with white bangs grumbled from her spot on the window seat. She wore chunky black boots, leather gloves and long-sleeve top made of green tulle over a crop top. Her lips were lined with purple lipstick that matched her eye shadow, she looked menacing and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little intimidated.  
"That's Rogue," Kitty whispered. "I knew you'd like her!"

I made a nervous noise in the back of my throat and had to cough to not look like a weirdo in front of the other 'so-called' freaks. Nothing about them made them seem strange, at least not from the outside – they all looked like normal humans beings. Okay, besides the fact that Rogue was seriously rocking the goth girl chic, Kurt was actually furry and one of the instructors was completely blue.

_I wonder what their stories are? Maybe they'll tell me one day. _

"So Lula," Jean began. "Tell us more about your powers, if you feel comfortable that is."

"Yeah, man, I read about it on your school's website. Ten minutes under water! That's seriously tight." The guy had previously been talking to Kurt her had blonde hair that had been shaved into two sections and his trousers were hanging far lower than I thought possible.

"Evan!" Kitty glowered.

"Hey, how I see it we got our powers in pretty similar ways." He shrugged. "She gets competitive and suddenly she's a water bender and I get competitive and then I'm The Spyke Man."

"The…Spyke Man?" I asked worried what that meant.

"Yeah, watch this." His brown eyes sparkled as balled his hands into fists and jerked his arms out causing spikes to burst from his skin. "Cool, huh?"

I thought creepy was more of the way to describe it, but I wasn't about to get critical of someone else's powers, so I just nodded. When he flurried his arms in a 'ta-da' motion a couple of the spikes shot out and Scott had to duck away to avoid being skewered. Jean put her fingertips to her temples and the spikes stopped in mid-air. Momentarily frozen before they clattered to the ground.

"Try not to do it in the house, eh, Spyke?" Scott came over to Jean and rubbed his hands across her shoulders and down her upperarms. Kitty squealed next to me and nudged my elbow just in time for me to turn and look at the way the couple was looking at each other.

Kurt coughed, and the two diverted their attention back to me. "So, Lula, what is your power?" Scott asked.

"I think the Professor said something about being hydrophobic."

"I've seen it!" Kitty gushed. "It was amazing!"

"Sounds powerful," Rogue mused. She finally stopped filing her nails and looked at me for the first time.

"What can you do?" I felt brave for asking. I wasn't about to let this girl control me for the rest of my time here. My nervousness melted away as I forgot about everything else and focused on the girl who had squared off in front of me.

"My power is your power."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Do you want to find out?" she taunted.

"Okay!" Kurt clapped his hands together and my concentration was broken. "Not that I don't dig a good cat fight, but I really want to know more about Lula's power."

"Whatever." Rogue stood up and stalked out the room.

"You, like, just took on the Rogue," Kitty said in disbelief. "Your fists were all clenched-"

"-and you had this mad look in your eyes," Kurt finished.

"Oh, did I?"

"How interesting." Professor Xavier wheeled over to our group, having watched the whole encounter he addressed the room with his findings. The woman he had previously been talking to, the one with the long white hair that she'd tied with a pretty scarf, Beast and a bulked out man with whiskers across his chin turned from their conversation and paid close attention to what the Professor had to say.

"It seems as though Tallulah has found where her power has come from. That concentration of your energy is probably what helped you to focus on your X gene."

"But I…" I started to protest, but he carried on.

"I know this must be strange for you, Lula. But that is a very powerful skill. Being able to completely lose yourself in your power can be dangerous and we will need to work on it. Jean and I can help you there." His serious tone was softened with a reassuring smile.

"It's what I did before I raced," I mumbled.

"It's an excellent starting position." He nodded. "I'd like to request that you come for some training tomorrow morning. I wouldn't want to take you away from Ororo's session."

The woman with the white hair looked kindly at the Professor and I.

"Great!" Kurt exclaimed. "Then we'll really see what you can do!"


	8. Chapter 8 - Change

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Partly because I just couldn't believe what was happening and how drastic the change was compared to my life only two days ago. It certainly didn't feel like two days.

I suppose in some ways it felt like it had been seconds. I can't imagine any one being able to adapt so quickly to a sudden change in location, especially with such little notice, but that was what I was planning to do. When you find out that you have super powers you have to change quickly.

It was pretty hard to take in, and I couldn't imagine how Evan had felt when he moved to the Institute. To be moved from your family, at what was essentially still quite a young age, must have been tough for him. At least he had his 'Auntie O.' I wasn't exactly the right person to lecture about leaving home when you're young. I was only seventeen. I thought I still had two years before I had to leave the safety and comfort of my parents' house behind.

After the evening meal - which had worked out pretty perfectly, actually, Jean had sat by me in a sort of protective way and I could really see why Kitty said it was a family – I had been guided back up to my new room, luckily the Professor didn't expect me to have memorized the layout of the house yet.

It's odd to admit, but I had felt quite lonely. Being an only child I'd had a room to myself my whole life, but being at the Institute was different, because there were other teens there. I would have happily shared with any of the girls, maybe not Rogue and I felt almost sorry for Kitty who was her room mate, it would have been nice to just talk to someone about it. I don't think I'd quite come to terms with it all, and sitting alone in an unfamiliar room made me realize just how much I would have to change.

I thought about calling Toby, but it was late and I'd already called him. As much as I could have done with his reassurance I didn't want to sound needy on my first day otherwise I'd never hear the end of it.

As Rogue had said, the bathroom was communal so I organized my toiletries on the shelf that had been labeled 'Lula.' They'd obviously prepared for my arrival.

I didn't want to sit in my room alone so I escaped to the bathroom. I left the door open so I could hear if any one was coming. Strange as it sounds, I felt normal sat on the tiled floor of the bathroom. It felt like a locker room; everyone had their own space, but there was a strange buzz that only came when you were working as part of a team. I ran the water just so that I could hear the echoes as each droplet filled the sink.

I missed the water. I'd never been out of it for this long. Training everyday had become the usual, but now I couldn't even touch the stuff. I tried to put my hands in the water like I had at home, but they just hovered above the surface, the barrier pushed down on the water causing some of it to spill.

I clenched my knuckles and pushed down as hard as I could. Nothing happened. I wanted to scoop the water into my palms and throw it into my face. I wanted to feel my hair wet, the ends dripping water onto the floor. I wanted to feel wet clothes suctioned to my skin. I wanted to hear the squelching sound of flip-flops on the poolside.

I wanted it so badly, but I'd never get it again.

I couldn't control my longing and a few angry tears slipped down my cheeks, not even leaving trails. I couldn't even cry properly anymore. My eyes didn't get red and puffy and my skin didn't go blotchy. In any other circumstances I would have been relieved, but I was horrified.

_Why me? _I sobbed, watching my tears as the slipped down the invisible barrier and pooled on the outskirts of my hydrophobic shield.

A door slammed somewhere down the hall and the sound of slippers padding across carpet got louder and louder. I thought by leaving the door open I would be able to save myself from awkward encounters, but I'd left little time to collect my thoughts and escape back to the room that didn't feel like my room.

"Oh, it's you," Rogue leant in the doorway. "I just wanted a glass of water." She didn't need to explain herself. If she gave me her reason she was probably expecting mine.

"Couldn't sleep." It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Sure," she wiped away my response with a flip of her hand. "It's always hard the first night." She grabbed the glass that was on her shelf and moved to the sink. She scoffed. "Experimentin'?" Her light southern drawl had previously slipped under my radar.

"Hoping is more like it."

"So you can't touch it at all?"

I leant forward in attempt to get up and the water that was restricted by my shield moved back as it being pushed.

"Right." Rogue jumped up onto the counter and swung her legs back and forth.

"I managed to break the surface yesterday, but I can't seem to do it now." I tried to make sure my voice didn't crack. I didn't want to seem weak in front of the other mutants. Trying and failing to touch the water had lit a match in my mind and the fiery anger had started to spread through my body. I could feel it like a pulse in the air, it fueled the barrier, but I couldn't calm down. I couldn't drown it out.

Rogue saw the change just as she had earlier. "It's okay," her voice lost a bit of its harshness. Just a bit. "I know what you're going through."

"Really?" Anger colored my tone, and I tried to keep it under control. I really had changed, anger had never been apart of who I was, just the determination to win. When my powers emerged it was like my personality had mutated too.

"Why do you think I have to wear these gloves all the time?" Even though she was in her green and orange pajamas she still wore her gloves. "I can't touch anyone or they black out and I absorb their memories. And if they're a mutant: their power."

"Intense." My anger started to ebb away and I could feel myself smiling. A silence settles around us, not exactly comfortable, but I didn't feel as threatened as the others suggested I should be when talking to Rogue.

"Look, this isn't really my style," Rogue began. "But if there's one thing that I've learned from being here, it's that these guys are here to help. And as hard as it is to believe at first they do actually care about you."

I nodded, looked up and saw something like regret pass over Rogue's features.

"The quicker you learn it that the better." Her voice was barely a whisper and I had to strain my ears just to hear. She pulled the plug in the sink and the water drained quickly, then she filled her glass and moved to leave. "Go back to bed, Tallulah."

"I-I…can't," I stammered.

"Why not?"

"I feel too trapped." Painful as it was to admit in front of this girl, we really were alike in a lot of ways.

Rogue let out a short laugh, and spent a minute in silence probably thinking of how to say what she did next, "The others will probably freak out about this, but…" she shook her head in disbelief. "I'll see if I can get the Professor to organize a room change. Kitty can room with Amara."

"You mean-"

"Hey. Don't think I'll make exceptions for you all the time. Just this once, alright? And you better tell everyone it's 'cause you begged me."

I smiled. "Thanks Rogue."

"Don't mention it. Seriously. Don't." She gave me a little wave before walking back to her room. Once I'd mopped up the floor – by that I mean once I'd chucked a ton of towels on the floor – I went back to my room.

I didn't feel as lonely as I did before. If Rogue could change for the better, if only for a second, then I knew I could to.


End file.
